


Biohazard

by leighwrites



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King, Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Blood, F/M, Gore, Guns, M/M, i hope you don't get everyone killed ;), tags will be added if/when needed, the usual things you expect in a zombie outbreak, we're getting interactive up in this bitch, zombie time guys!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-09-23
Packaged: 2019-10-24 03:37:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17696921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leighwrites/pseuds/leighwrites
Summary: Everything that happens is up to you. Can you keep both units alive?





	1. Chapter 1

JULY, 1998, RACOON FOREST

 

Eddie had always hated flying. The helicopters felt rickety and almost unstable; a deathtrap in a way, but he couldn’t disobey a direct order. He wouldn’t risk his position in the Special Tactics and Rescue Service Alpha Team, S.T.A.R.S for short, just because of one little issue, so he’d shoved on his uniform, met up with Bill, Richie, Beverly, Mike, and their captain, Henry, and climbed into the infernal deathtrap, taking his place as copilot next to Bill and shoving on his headset and flight helmet.

That’s what lead them to here, flying around the forest that was situated northwest of Raccoon City where they were trying to find signs of the Bravo Team Helicopter. A bizarre report had reached the S.T.A.R.S unit about a group who had been murdered in the forest. The victims had been eaten, and while the media had tried to brush it off as wild animal attacks, the Police Department had not. The Bravo team had been sent in first to investigate, and a week later, the Alpha team had lost contact with them.

Henry had opted to take what he considered to be his best unit to try to find them.

“Anything on your side, Eddie?” Bill asked, looking out the window as he aimed the search light to trail across the dense trees below.

Eddie shook his head, turning away from his window. “Nothing. Not even a glint.”

“Hold on! Over there!” Mike said, leaning between the seats and pointing out the window.

Eddie squinted to get a better look, and in the mass of trees he could just about make out a clearing and bent helicopter propellers. “Take us down Bill.”

Bill seemed reluctant but slowly lowered the helicopter down into the clearing and Mike pulled open the door to jump out. Beverly was close behind, flashlight held firmly in her hand which she held up above her head, checking the surrounding area as Richie jumped out behind her.

Eddie was the last to jump out, leaving Bill in the pilot seat as he joined the rest of his unit as they observed the wrecked helicopter in front of them. “It looks like they crashed.”

Beverly aimed her flashlight at the main windshield which had a large hole in it. “Yeah but the question is whether they crashed coming here or trying to leave.”

“Spread out.” Henry ordered, reaching for the pistol on his belt. “If they crashed they can’t have gotten far… if they survived.”

Beverly peered into the window of the helicopter. “The only body in there is the pilot. He probably died on impact.”

“So they’re out here. Find them. Eddie, Mike, you take the left. I’ll take Richie and Beverly to the right. Bill, close the doors and wait here. We might need to get out of here fast.”

They split up without question, flashlights out. Eddie followed Mike slowly and cautiously through the dark trees, heart thudding heavily against his chest. What had happened to the others? Where could they have possibly run to in the middle of nowhere? It wasn’t like Bravo team to mess up. The only explanation for something having happened to them was some kind of ambush.

A sudden growl had Mike coming to a stop, raising his flashlight high into the air. “What was that?”

“I don’t know.” Eddie pointed his flashlight off to the left. “Whatever it was probably got the Bravo team… or tried to.”

Before Mike could respond, something charged out of the trees with a snarl and he dropped his flashlight in favour of raising his shotgun.

Richie whipped around at the sound of the blast that echoed through the forest. He stood still for a moment, flashlight pointed in the direction Mike and Eddie had gone in. Beverly took off towards the noise, pistol raised as she tried to locate them. Richie shot a glance to Henry who nodded, and then he was launching into a sprint after Beverly.

“Mike! Eddie! Where are you!?” Beverly called, ducking through the trees with Richie close behind her.

“Over here!” Eddie’s voice called.

They changed direction and sprinted further into the forest, bursting through a patch of trees and into a clearing. Eddie was clutching at his arm which was bleeding and there was some kind of grotesque mutated dog dead at his feet. Mike stood frozen in the middle of the clearing, the shotgun falling from his hands before he reached for one of his packs for the medical supplies, rushing towards Eddie.

“Shit - fuck - I’m sorry - I -”

“It’s okay.” Eddie assured him, moving his hand away from his arm so Mike could clean it up. “I think you grazed me more than anything. It wasn’t your fault. That thing knocked you.”

Beverly looked down at the animal on the ground, pointing her flashlight at it. “Is that… a dog?”

“That ain’t no dog.” Richie said, pointing his flashlight at the dog’s side. It looked like something had torn into it with its teeth, the flesh around the bite marks almost _rotting_. “That’s a monster.”

“Think this thing got the Bravo team?”

“Most likely. I - I don’t think we’re gonna find the others.”

Mike stepped back from Eddie, closing his pouch and turning to face Richie. “I think you’re right. We have to get out of here before we get killed too.”

Beverly swallowed. “But Stan… and the others... we can’t - _someone_ has to have made it. We’re _all_ part of the same force. He wouldn’t have just died here… and the others… they wouldn’t either. There has to be somewhere… they had to have found _some_ place.”

“Bev - you - it’s not safe here. That thing there almost killed us. We can’t take that risk again Bev - we just _can’t._ We need to go back, get help and then come back.”

Beverly sighed, a look of defeat coming to her face. “Yeah, yeah you’re right. I’m so-”

“What the fuck is _that_?” Richie asked, tilting his head up at the sky.

The sound of helicopter propellers filled the air and Mike felt his heart stop. The four of them took off back towards the crash site of the Bravo helicopter, ignoring the sounds of the snarls and heavy footsteps. Dread seized at them like a vice as they broke the treeline in time to see the helicopter flying away without them.

“No!” Beverly shouted, jumping up and down and waving her arms in the air. “ _Bill!_ Come back!”

“No… this can’t be happening...” Eddie breathed, slumping against the Bravo helicopter to get his breath back. “Oh this is _not_ happening.”

The snarls were louder now. Richie turned to try and locate them as a dog shot out from the trees, slamming into him and knocking him to his feet. Richie threw his arm up and the dog’s mouth clamped down on the padded material of the S.T.A.R.S jacket, snarling and foaming as it attempted to tear into Richie’s arm.

“Richie!”

“Shoot it! Eddie shoot it!”

“I can’t it keeps moving!”

“He might shoot Richie!”

“Ed-”

A foot slammed into the dog’s side, sending it sprawling away from him. A gunshot sounded, and the next thing Richie saw was a gloved hand extended towards him. Taking the hand, he allowed Eddie to pull him to his feet, spotting Henry nearby. He’d assumed that their Captain had already gotten back on the helicopter. He’d never stopped to consider that maybe, just maybe, Henry had been left behind too.

“This way.” Henry ordered, turning and taking off into the forest.

They didn’t ask questions. They didn’t wait for the rest of the snarls to get louder. They ran. The snarls echoed all around them and Eddie was positive that they were from more dogs, chasing them through the trees. No. Hunting. The dogs were _hunting_ them. Henry turned sharply and fired his gun in Beverly’s direction. The bullet sailed over her shoulder and slammed into the head of a dog that had leaped from the trees towards her.

They broke another treeline breathing in a sigh of relief at the sight of the mansion in front of them. The snarls were louder now, pushing them into running for the mansion. Henry turned the moment they were all inside and slammed the door in the face of another dog who slammed into it with a loud thud.

Slowly, he turned to his unit who were gathered in the foyer.

 

**Enter the survival Horror.**

**From here on out everything that happens is up to you. Not only do you get to choose who the story follows, but choices are given to you at the end of the chapter so pay attention to the little things that happen and remember what previously happened. Relationships among the group are boosted and decreased by every choice you make. The ships are affected by every choice you make. Who lives and who dies is affected by every action and response.**

**As a S.T.A.R.S operative your mission is to find the missing members of Team Bravo and figure out just what the hell is going on. At the end of the mission you will be given a collective rank of A, B, or F based on the survival count and the choices you make.**

 

**Characters:**

**> Kaspbrak, Eddie: S.T.A.R.S Alpha Copilot and Medical Expert. Currently injured. Uses a Beretta and Combat Knife. Carries medical supplies and extra ammunition.**

**> Tozier, Richie: S.T.A.R.S Alpha Rookie and Weapons Expert. Currently injured. Uses a Colt Python and a Magnum. Carries extra ammo and virtually no medical supplies. **

**> Marsh, Beverly: S.T.A.R.S Alpha Lieutenant and Explosives Expert. Not injured. Uses an Assault Rifle only. Carries a small amount of medical supplies, some extra ammo and a lockpick.**

**> Hanlon, Mike: S.T.A.R.S Alpha Veteran and Technology Expert. Not injured. Uses a Shotgun and Taser. Carries medical supplies and extra ammo.**

 

 **Based on what you know about the characters, and what happened until now, it’s up to** **_you_ ** **to choose the team from the following choices to focus on. The wrong choice in team can have bad consequences so choose wisely.**

**A) Eddie and Richie**

**B) Eddie and Mike**

**C** **) Eddie and Beverly**

**D) Richie and Beverly**

**E) Richie and Mike**

**F) Beverly and Mike**


	2. Chapter 2

**_After the events in the forest, my team and I were abandoned by our pilot who took off in a panic, not that I could blame him. We found ourselves trapped within a nearby mansion after being chased by what appeared to be deformed and mutated dogs of some kind. They didn’t seem to be interested in trying to get into the building, so we assumed that everything was safe._ **

**_We had no idea how wrong we were._ **

**_\- Extract of a report filed by S.T.A.R.S Alpha Officer Michael Hanlon._ **

 

**Unofficial S.T.A.R.S Report:**

**Team Picked: Richie and Mike [ + 10 Relationship points ]**

**Total: 10**

**Current Mission Rank: A**

 

  
The large mansion foyer around them was barely lit by a swinging chandelier above that made a creaking sound as it moved, but it was enough that they could make each other out. The only sounds were those of the snarling dogs outside as they padded off into the night, and the heavy breathing of the S.T.A.R.S Alpha team who were desperately trying to recover their breath. 

This was  _ not  _ what they had signed on for when they had come out here to look for the missing Bravo team. And they knew without a doubt that whatever had happened to Bravo team was either as equally bad as this or worse.

“Do you think the Bravo team managed to make it here too?” Beverly asked, panting heavily as black dots danced around the edge of her vision.

“God I  _ hope  _ so.” Mike groaned, glancing over to Richie who was shaking his beret free of thick mutant dog slobber while also inspecting the tears in his jacket. “How you holding up over there rookie?”

Richie grinned, jamming the hat back onto his head and giving him a thumbs up. “Little shaken up after the whole demon dog trying to eat me thing but otherwise I’m pretty good. I don’t think it managed to tear all the way through my jacket... fortunately. Who knows what gross disease that rabid monster had.”

“If the Bravo team were smart, they would have run the moment they saw those things just like we did.” Henry looked around the dark foyer which was even dimmer thanks to the aviators covering his eyes. “And I trained you all to be the best, which includes intelligence on when to retreat. If they’re alive… they’ll be here somewhere. We should -”

A sudden loud gunshot rang through the mansion, echoing through the numerous hallways and cutting Henry off mid sentence. A long silence stretched over them after the shot died out, and Beverly slowly exhaled, tilting her head to look around the dim lamp nearby catching the S.T.A.R.S badge pinned to the front of her hat and reflecting into Richie’s eyes. 

Someone from the Bravo team was here. They had to be. Who else could have possibly made that shot?

“Uh, guys, where’s Eddie?” Mike asked, looking around the foyer and squinting.

“Shit, he must have panicked and run off further into the mansion.” Beverly said, pointing her flashlight around the foyer to make sure Mike just hadn’t missed him in one of the dark corners. “Do you… do you think that gunshot was him?”

Beverly hated to think that one of them was in any kind of danger, Eddie especially. Eddie wasn’t just a member of the Alpha Team. Eddie was someone she had met during the Academy and had always been her partner even before they had both made it to S.T.A.R.S. He was her best friend, and if something happened to him… well, she didn’t want to think about that.

Mike took another sweep of the foyer just to be sure that Eddie wasn’t there. “It was  _ someone _ , but whether it was Eddie or someone from the Bravo team… who knows.” 

Richie exhaled heavily, looking from one end of the foyer to the other. “The question we should be asking is…  _ where _ did that shot come from? Thing echoed so much I can’t even pinpoint it. We need to figure out where it was before trying to figure out  _ who  _ it was.”

“We’ll have to split up.” Henry said, adjusting his sunglasses and reaching for his pistol. “Hanlon, Tozier, you two take the East side of the mansion. Marsh and I will take the West. Stay on the ground floor and meet back here in one hour whether you manage to find anyone or not. We don’t know what’s in here and the last thing we need is for everyone to be running off all over the damn place and tripping up over each other in the dark. That’s how people get shot or worse… killed.”

Richie removed the colt python from his side, checking the ammunition in it before clicking back the hammer. “You got it Captain. One hour and we’ll be back.”

“Be careful. If you run into any problems at all, you radio it in.”

Mike shared an uneasy glance with Richie before the two of them headed towards a set of large double doors on the east side of the hallway. Beyond the set of doors was a small room with a sculpture of what looked like a giant vial with a blue liquid in it. The doors swung shut as Mike released them, Richie pointing his flashlight at the sculpture.

“Not exactly your everyday art huh?” Richie asked, approaching the sculpture. “I wouldn’t even call it art if I’m honest. You think that’s real liquid in there?”

Mike scoffed, already crossing the room towards another door. “Probably, but I wouldn’t go touching it to find out. It could just be paint or… it could be something worse. It’s like the captain said. We don’t know what’s in this building.”

“Yeah, like I’m  _ that  _ stupid.” Richie muttered, stepping around the sculpture and following Mike. “Do you think that anyone lives here? I feel like someone should have come running into the foyer with a fucking shotgun or something and demand we get the fuck out of their house.”

“The only person with a shotgun you need to worry about in this mansion is me.”

“Because  _ that’s  _ comforting after you shot Eddie.”

“I grazed him, and that only happened because of that dog.” Mike pointed out, reaching for the handle of the door. “So, enjoying your first week rookie?”

“Oh yeah, absolutely. You know, I always wanted to be abandoned in the woods by my pilot with demon dogs roaming around and a big scary deserted mansion in the middle of nowhere. I’m fuckin’ living the dream over here.”

Mike let out a chuckle, pushing the door open to reveal a hallway with much better lighting. It stretched on for a good amount of distance before it turned off to the left, and Richie switched off his flashlight; returning it to his belt.

“It’s good to know this place has power at least.” Mike stepped through the doors, heading down the hallway with Richie close at his side. “So what made you join?”

Richie warily glanced to a window to his right as they walked, almost like he was expecting something to jump through the glass from the darkness beyond. “Join Stars or the R.P.D in general?”

“Either… both? Just… man I  _ cannot _ walk through this place in silence. It’s creepy enough without that.”

There was a quiet laugh from Richie who turned his attention from the window to Mike. “Big bad veteran scared of a big empty ol’ mansion? Who’da thought? Okay so I joined the R.P.D for the same reason most people do. Protect and serve, blah blah. Marvin said I was too good to be basic police. Too smart. So he suggested I apply for S.T.A.R.S. I wasn’t expecting to go right to Alpha team though.”

“I saw your file when Beverly and Henry were going over it. You were just what we needed.” Mike said, adjusting the grip on his shotgun. “Bravo already had a weapons expert. We needed one solely for the Alpha team. Did you really take apart a fucking grenade launcher and put it back together in less than an hour?”

“Something like that.” Richie glanced back to the windows again, catching his reflection which was somewhat grimey; no doubt from the dog and sweat from running. “I was always good at taking stuff apart and putting it back together. I like figuring out how shit works… and how to improve it. I wasn’t expecting a crazy first mission like this though.”

“None of us were expecting a mission like this. How’s your back by the way?”

“It’s a little sore, but nothing I can’t power through.” Richie looked away from the windows again, keeping his attention fixed ahead. “I do not recommend getting pinned to a forest floor by a demon dog though.”

Mike shook his head with an amused chuckle. Turning the corner, Richie came to a sudden halt, nudging Mike with his elbow and nodding his head at something in front of them. Mike followed his line of vision, spotting one of the bloodied red jackets of the Bravo team crumpled on the ground like something had stumbled over it and a trail of blood leading beyond it to another door ahead of them like something or someone had been shot and was bleeding out. 

Mike rushed forward, crouching to grab the jacket and lift it into the air before turning it around to look at the back.

**Raccoon City Police Department**

**S.T.A.R.S Bravo Unit**

**Uris. S.**

“Holy shit.” Mike breathed, holding the jacket out to Richie to show him the words printed onto the back. “It’s Stan’s. He made it here… which means the others probably did too.”

Richie stared at the trail of blood drops on the ground. “Let’s just hope  _ that’s  _ not his too.”

Mike turned his attention back to the blood on the ground and then on the jacket. “No. It can’t be Stan’s.”

“How do you know?”

“This blood is coagulated.”

Richie approached Mike, looking at the blood over his shoulder. “And that means it’s not Stan’s becauseee -”

“Blood doesn’t do that til after you’re dead.”

“I’m still not following.”

Mike heaved a sigh, standing upright. “Stan had time to take this off. If he was dead he couldn’t do that and there’s no body.”

“I - Mike are you trying to tell me you think this blood came from something  _ dead _ ?”

“I don’t know, but those dogs out there didn’t look very alive now that I think about it. What I  _ do  _ know is that Stan  _ isn’t _ dead and he’s here somewhere.” Mike reached for the radio on his jacket, bringing it to his mouth and pushing the button down. “Captain, we found something in the East Hallway. It’s Stan’s jacket. We think the Bravo team made it here. We’re gonna check any nearby rooms and see if we can find him.”

There was a crackling over the radio before Henry’s voice followed. “Roger that. Be careful. We uh… ran into… problem. There are people… mansion n… safe… won’t… on sight.”

Static suddenly sounded over the radio and Mike shared a concerned glance with Richie. “What do you think he was trying to say?”

Richie shrugged, a frown crossing his face. “All I could pick up was there are people in here. Maybe they saw Stan… or he’s with them...”

“Maybe. Let’s go.”

The next area of the mansion was dark just like the foyer had been, a cold chill blowing in through a broken window at the base of some stairs like something had smashed its way in. Richie reached for his flashlight, switching it on and shining it around. The walls and floor were stained in blood and it looked as though someone had  _ dragged  _ something up the staircase to the upper floor. 

Richie approached the staircase and pointed the flashlight up. The staircase was dark, but what little he could see thanks to his flashlight was bloodied. Something had  _ definitely  _ been attacked in here. “Stan?” He hissed into the dark, only to get no response. He turned to Mike, pointing the flashlight all around the area. It was a small foyer, with the bloodied staircase behind him and two doors in front of him. “Shit, Mike look!”

Mike followed the beam of Richie’s flashlight, soon finding what Richie had seen. A little off to the right of the area was a S.T.A.R.S issued beret, and Mike bent down to pick it up, approaching Richie so he could check the label inside.

**Uris. S.**

“Stan’s.” Mike confirmed, looking at the doors and then the staircase. “He really did come through here then. But… did he go up or into a room?”

Richie looked at the doors which were just as bloodied as the staircase, the wood splintered as though something had slammed into it. “Good question.”

“Well...” Mike looked back over his shoulder at the staircase, noting the claw marks in the wallpaper. “It’s your call rookie.”

  
  


**> Decision Time. <**

 

**Stan is confirmed alive in the mansion, but** **_where_ ** **? This is where** **_you_ ** **come in. The three clues to finding where Stan is have already been given to you throughout the chapter. If you paid close attention, this should be a breeze! Here are your choices:**

 

**A) Investigate both doors one at a time (right first)**

**B) Investigate both doors one at a time (left first)**

**C) Send Richie to check out the left room while Mike checks out the right**

**D) Send Mike to check out the left room while Richie checks out the right**

**E) Send Richie to check the upper floor while Mike checks the rooms**

**F) Send Mike to check the upper floor while Richie checks the rooms**

**G) Ignore both doors and go upstairs**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unlike last time, the wait isn't so long. You have four days to pick your choice, good luck!


	3. Chapter 3

**_The mansion was empty… or so it appeared when we first entered. We hadn’t seen anyone in the east side, only blood and Stan’s jacket. The second foyer looked as though someone had broken in and there had been a fight. It was clear someone had been murdered, but we put that aside for a moment in favour of trying to find the surviving bravo team members and Eddie._ **

**_\- Extract of a report filed by S.T.A.R.S Alpha officer Richard Tozier._ **

**> Unofficial S.T.A.R.S Report:**

**Choice A:  [ + 10** **stanlon / hanzier / stozier / reddie / kasplon / streddie / stanlonzier relationship points** **]**

 **[ Hanzier: 20 ] [** **Stanlon: 10 ] [** **Stozier: 10 ] [** **Reddie: 10 ] [** **Kasplon: 10 ] [** **Streddie: 10 ] [** **Stanlonzier: 10 ]**

 

**Current Mission Rank: A**

 

_“Well...” Mike looked back over his shoulder at the staircase, noting the claw marks in the wallpaper. “It’s your call rookie.”_

Richie swallowed, turning back to the staircase for a moment, tracing the claw marks in the wallpaper that looked as though they had been caused by an animal of some kind, and after the incident with the dogs, Richie didn’t want to risk it, turning his attention back to the doors. “The captain said we should stay on the ground floor so going up is out of the question… Stan’s hat was right _there_ … he’s gotta be in one of these rooms… especially if he’s injured or tired. My guess is...we search these rooms, the right one first. It looks like someone slammed into it… maybe trying to get away from an attacker.”

Mike let out a soft hum, ready to praise Richie on his deductive skills when a shout and a slam came from behind the very door Richie had suggested. Richie rushed forward, gun held between his hands, shouldering the door open. The laundry room was lit only by a flickering swinging light above him, but it was enough to see that Stan was pressed up against a washing machine, struggling against someone who had their hands planted firmly on his shoulders, face bloodied and teeth snapping at Stan’s face.

There was no way that was a _person_. Richie felt himself freeze up, his grip loosening somewhat on his gun which became dangerously close to falling from his hands. Stan shoved his hands against the chest of the thing that was trying to tear into him, his attention snapping to Richie as he tried to fend off the creature.

“Shoot it! The head! It’s gotta be the head!”

Richie snapped back into action, raising his gun and pulling the trigger. The creature’s head snapped to the side, its body going limp to the point that Stan was able to push it away. The creature crumpled to the ground with a thump, and Stan took in deep calming breaths. “Thanks. Any longer and… well, it doesn’t matter now.”

Richie slowly lowered his gun, returning it to its holster on his leg. “What the hell _is_ that thing?”

“The papers I found called it a Zombie; T-Type mutation.” Stan explained, leaning back against the washing machine as he worked on regaining his breath. “This place is full of them… especially the upper floors. I ran out of ammo when this one jumped me and then you guys showed up.”

“That gunshot we heard was you?” Mike asked, approaching the fallen creature and examining the blood. “Coagulated.”

“Yeah, that was me. I uh… I heard you guys coming towards the mansion and I wanted to warn you not to come in. I made it to the room with the weird sculpture in it and… _shit_. Eddie! I saw Eddie! I tried to go after him and that’s when that zombie ambushed me. I couldn’t get it off so I shot it, missed obviously, tore off my jacket because it wouldn’t let go of me… and shit, I don’t know what happened after that other than hearing a shattering noise. By the time I got into that stairwell back there that thing had managed to get back up and I ended up in here.”

“Eddie must have gone up to get away from whatever you heard.” Richie looked back at the foyer over his shoulder. “I’m not _too_ worried about him since he’s more than capable but...”

Mike heaved a sigh, slowly standing and holding out the jacket and beret to Stan who took them and started to pull them on, face contorting into a grimace at the blood covering the items. “We’ll meet up with the Captain and Beverly. We _have_ to tell them what’s going on, and then we can come back for Eddie.”

“Right, yeah.” Richie reached for his colt python, holding it out towards Stan. “You’re gonna need this more than I do.”

Stan wrapped a hand around the gun, slowly taking it from Richie. “Thanks. So, how did you guys end up here anyway?”

“We had orders to come out here to look for you guys.” Mike said, heading back into the stairwell, pausing to check the next room just to be sure. Nothing. “How did _you_ end up in here?”

Stan sighed, shouldering the door open to the long hallway warily. “We came to investigate that camping murder case but our helicopter failed. Pilot said they could fix it so we decided to do our mission in the meantime, Lucas’ order. But then...”

“Shit went to hell?” Richie guessed, peering around the corner to make sure there was nothing ahead of them.

“Yeah. We found this army vehicle and everyone in it was dead. There was a report inside of some Lieutenant who killed a bunch of people and was to be executed. We thought he might be the one who did the murders so we tried to look for him. I got separated from the rest of Bravo when these dogs attacked us… ended up on a zombie filled train… and when I got out I… figured I should look for the others. I came across this place and figured they’d be here but… I haven’t been able to find anyone between the zombies and the other things.”

“Other things?”

“They look like something that’s been turned inside out. There was a report that called them _lickers_ and after seeing how they can use their tongue as a weapon, it’s pretty fucking accurate… and gross. They’re blind as fuck but their hearing is unnatural. I only had to bump a wall and one of those things whipped its head around so fast I thought it would break.”

They’d reached the room with the weird sculpture in it, and Richie couldn’t help but notice that the liquid was now a soft glowing green and not the blue it had been before. “That liquid was green earlier right?”

Mike barely glanced to the statue in the middle of the room. “Can’t be. It wouldn’t just change right? Maybe you _thought_ it was green.”

“Maybe...”

Stan stared at the statue, taking a step closer to look at the liquid. He vaguely recalled long white hallways, a small white room, and a doctor holding a vial of blue liquid which he pushed into a gun shaped applicator.

_“This? Our doctor calls it the T Virus. It’s an amazing creation. If injected into say… someone who can’t walk… it rebuilds the dead nerves and tissues. But I wonder… how it reacts in a perfectly healthy specimen.”_

“Stan?”

Stan looked away from the sculpture to Richie who was holding the door to the foyer open and waiting for him. “You okay?”

“Fine. This liquid just...”

“Gives you a bad vibe? Me too.”

Stan turned his back on the statue and walked by Richie into the foyer where Mike was talking to Beverly. Beverly’s eye found his and a smile came to her face before she was rushing across the lobby and throwing her arms around Stan.

“I was so worried about you.”

Richie crossed the lobby, taking a look around. “As touching as this is… where is Captain Bowers?”

Beverly pulled away from Stan, biting at her lip. “I don’t know. We ran into some trouble. Everyone here is hostile. He was forced to kill someone and then… I don’t know what happened. We were walking around. I thought he was right behind but then he was just… gone. You didn’t find Eddie?”

“No, but Stan has a good idea where he might be.”

“Well… a lead is better than nothing. We should look for him.”

“And leave the captain?” Mike asked; warily looking around the foyer. “We need to find _him_ first.”

“But we can’t just leave Eddie!” Richie reasoned. “What if he’s _hurt_ or something? He went further into the mansion without knowing what’s in here! You heard what Stan said. Those zombies are mostly on the upper floors and there are _other_ creatures in here.”

“The Captain might have done the same thing!”

“Eddie is just as important as the Captain!” Richie snapped, taking a step forward.

Beverly stepped between them, pushing Richie towards Stan before he could lash out. “Whoa, whoa, come on, fighting won’t help us find either of them.”

“She’s right.” Stan spoke up, tapping the tip of his foot against the smooth floor nervously. “We… we should split up to try and find them. Two of us go back to the East side and look for Eddie, and the other two go to the West side to find the Captain.”

“See! A reasonable way to do this.” Beverly said, placing her hands to her hips. “But… how do we do this?”

Richie sighed, looking over his shoulder in the direction they’d come from before heading for the door. “I’m definitely going East though, so let me know when you guys decide who is coming with me.”

Stan sighed, looking back at Richie who was now leaning against the wall. “I kinda… feel like I should… you know? I know the layout of that side of the mansion. What do you guys think?”

 

**> Decision Time. <**

**A new member has joined your group:**

**> Stan, S.T.A.R.S Bravo Copilot and Intel Expert. **

**Congratulations, operatives! You found Stan and ensured his survival, but now both Eddie and Henry are missing. Determined to find Eddie, Richie is set on going back to the East side of the mansion. One person must go with him while the other two look for Henry. It’s now up to you to choose Richie’s partner:**

 

**A) Send Stan with Richie**

**B) Send Beverly with Richie**

**C) Send Mike with Richie**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Votes are open until Saturday!


	4. Chapter 4

**I had to do it.  We ran from those things, helping each other to survive but Robert started to show the symptoms.  I had to do it. Those damn things are pure evil. There was no other way. He would have done the same if it were the other way around.  After I put him out of his misery I had to just leave him in the bathroom. Now I'm probably the last one. How could this happen? I'll never forgive myself for being part of this project.  Eventually I'll get what's coming to me, though. There's no way to escape from this nut house. It's just a matter of time now.**

**Everything is set.  All I need is a little courage to get it done.  Knowing that I'll leave many things undone is regret beyond words. But, this is better than just waiting to turn into one of them.  Please understand and at least let me end my life as a person. Linda, please forgive me.**

**\- File recovered by S.T.A.R.S Bravo intel expert Stanley Uris.**

  
  


**Unofficial S.T.A.R.S Report: Choice A [ + 5 Stozier / Steddie / Streddie / Reddie ] + Intel Advantage Bonus**

**\- Hanzier: 20**

**\- Stanlon: 10**

**\- Stozier: 15**

**\- Reddie: 15**

**\- Kasplon: 10**

**\- Steddie: 5**

**\- Streddie: 15**

**\- Stanlonzier: 10**

 

**Current Mission Rank: A**

  
  


Richie sighed, looking over his shoulder in the direction they’d come from before heading for the door. “I’m definitely going East though, so let me know when you guys decide who is coming with me.”

Stan sighed, looking back at Richie who was now leaning against the wall. “I kinda… feel like I should… you know? I know the layout of that side of the mansion. What do you guys think?”

Beverly nodded, offering Stan an encouraging smile. “That sounds like a good idea to me. No one knows  _ that  _ side better than you, and I know the other one. Just… find him...  _ please _ ...”

Stan reached out, giving Beverly’s upper arm a gentle squeeze. “Don’t worry, we’ll find him. I  _ promise _ . Listen… if you’re not careful… this place will eat you alive. The upper floors are riddled with dead people… cause nothing stays dead here unless you destroy the brain. It’s gotta be the head… one clean shot… and the creatures that click… they’re blind but their hearing is astounding. Creep around them if you can but if it comes to it it’s the same as the people. The head. Everything is always the head.”

“Got it. You two be careful.”

“You too.” Stan turned away, approaching where Richie stood. “Let’s go.”

They were soon back in the dark bloodied stairwell, Stan with his flashlight out and directing the beam up into the darkness, raising a hand to his mouth to tell Richie to be silent before tapping his ears and pointing up. Richie leaned forward, straining his ears as he listened. At first, there was nothing, and then he could hear it. It was a soft clicking noise, followed by a tapping of something that sounded like claws on wood.

“What is that?” Richie asked, keeping his voice a low whisper, almost a hiss.

“A file I found upstairs called it a Licker. It’s some kind of Bio Organic Weapon. I told you about them earlier. They’re blind so we can just sneak around them. We just have to take the stairs slowly.” Stan pointed his flashlight at the ground. “This blood isn’t coagulated. It has to be Eddie’s. If we follow the trail we’ll find him.”

The ascent up the stairs was slow. It was difficult to climb the rickety wooden staircase without making a sound, but somehow they managed, Richie breathing a sigh of relief. Stan nudged him in the side and pointed to a trail of blood on the ground that stretched out down the hallway before vanishing around a corner. The clicking was louder now, but there was no visible source to it and that made Richie uneasy.

“We’ll just have to stay quiet a little longer.” Stan hissed, already heading down the dark hallway.

Richie swallowed, removing the gun from his belt and following. They moved slow, passing bloodied doors while Stan kept his attention and the flashlight beam on the trail. A slam sounded as they passed a cracked door, followed by a low groaning that made Stan halt his movements. A hiss sounded, and there was the padding of claws on wood as something rounded the corner, movements slow, careful and precise. 

Richie suddenly understood what was terrifying about the creatures Stan had told him about now that he could see it. It looked like something that had been stripped of its flesh, made up of muscles and claws, its brain clear on display and a long thin tongue protruding from its mouth when it stopped, raising a leg off the ground as it inspected the area; listening.

The slam sounded again the Licker was suddenly ‘looking’ in their direction, a low growl vibrating in its chest as it started to move towards them. Stan reached out and grabbed Richie’s wrist, pulling him towards the windows and flattening his back against them, motioning for Richie to do the same. Richie complied, and as the creature neared them, he could see the sharp rows of teeth in its mouth, reminding him somewhat of a shark.

It stopped in front of them and paused to listen again. Richie held his breath, not wanting to attract any attention to them with the creature so close to them. There was another slam and the creature’s head shot towards the door with a shriek before it lunged, crashing into the wood and breaking it from its hinges.

“Go, go!” Stan urged, voice a panicked whisper as he shoved Richie up the hallway. “ _ Run. _ ”

With the creature distracted by the zombie in the room they broke into a run, turning the corner sharply and clambering up another set of steps towards a wooden door. Richie shouldered it open, stumbling into the attic with Stan close behind, slamming the door behind them and leaning his body against it. For a moment, there was only ragged breathing as they tried to catch their breath.

Stan slowly pushed up from the door once he’d regained his breath, shining his flashlight around the attic. “Holy shit, what do you think happened in here?” 

Wooden beams and posts were splinted and smashed as though something had been thrown into them, blood staining some areas of the attic as they slowly crossed the room, the wood making a sickening creak under their feet. The trail of blood they’d been following lead towards a stack of boxes that were tucked into the corner, and there was the heavy sound of breathing behind them. 

Richie raised a hand to tell Stan to hang back, and Stan slowly raised his gun, handing the flashlight over to Richie. Richie quietly approached the boxes, wincing whenever the boards would creak under his feet until he finally reached his destination, rounding them to see what was making the noise; the flashlight falling from his hand the moment it locked onto the figure.

“Shit,  _ Eddie _ !” 

Eddie was sitting propped up against the wall, covered in blood with an arm wrapped around his stomach and his leg bent at an awkward angle, eyes closed and breathing shallow. Richie ran forward, dropping onto his knees in front of his injured teammate and lightly tapping at his cheek to try and get his attention.

“Come on, shit, please don’t be dying.”

“If I died this easily… I wouldn’t be part of Stars...” Eddie breathed, opening his eyes. “It looks worse than it is… I think. Took you long enough Rookie.”

“Hey, I’ve been searching for you since you went missing.” Richie assured him, dropping his hand to Eddie’s shoulder. Eddie winced, and Richie quickly retracted his hand with an apologetic look on his face. “So uh, you’re a Stars medic, right? What’s the damage Eds?”

“Broken ribs, arm, leg, maybe a shoulder… deep ass gashes that hurt like hell… maybe it  _ is  _ as bad as it looks.”

“How did this happen?” Stan asked, concern clear on his face as he joined them, picking up his flashlight and returning his gun to its place.

“I -  _ shit _ . That’s right! There’s a thing in here… some kind of huge monster… it… it’s after us! It’s trying to kill us all! I - it got me when I ran into a stairwell. It crashed through a window and threw me around like a fucking doll and dragged me here. Lucas showed up though. He… he shot the thing so much that it released me because it was hurt and it left.; probably to lick its wounds Not  _ dead  _ \- hurt. He hid me here behind these boxes and said he was gonna come back after he found the rest of Bravo but he didn’t. This place… this was an ambush.”

“An ambush?” Stan repeated. “How can you be sure?”

“Because that fucking creature looked me in the eyes and said ‘eliminate Stars’ before grabbing me around the throat and throwing me into a wall! We were tricked! We were sent here to  _ die _ . Someone is trying to wipe us out. They want us dead because -”

“We’re the best.”

“Yeah, and you have to get out of here! Go before it comes back! Because if it finds us, we’ll all die!”

Richie clenched his jaw. “I’m not leaving you here to die, Eddie.”

“I’m giving you a fucking  _ order  _ Rookie.  _ Get out of this fucking mansion before it kills us all. _ ”

“Not without you! We’re a  _ team  _ Eddie, and we’re not leaving you.”

The sound of thudding below them had Eddie even more alert as he looked around wildly. “Shit, that’s him! Just go already! There’s an elevator over there. Lucas used it to leave.”

Richie looked over his shoulder as Stan directed the flashlight towards the other side of the attic. It was a small square shaped cage styled elevator but they could easily all fit on it as long as one of them carried Eddie. Richie knew they could. Stan approached the cage and slammed his hand onto the button, the elevator whirring to life with a low buzzing. The thumping sounded again, and it was easy to tell just where the creature that had Eddie panicked was when a shriek sounded; followed by a sickening crack and silence.

Stan sent a panicked glance to the door.

And then the heavy thumping started again.

 

**> Decision Time <**

**Operatives, it looks like you finally found Eddie, but he’s seriously injured and now there’s a creature on the loose hellbent on killing any and all S.T.A.R.S operatives that it can find heading right for your location. Now you have to make the choice that can make or break a team.**

 

**A) Follow your orders like the well trained S.T.A.R.S operative you are and leave Eddie in his hiding place**

******B) Ignore your orders and take Eddie with you**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Votes open 'til Saturday!


	5. Chapter 5

**C O N F I D E N T I A L**

 

**Attn: Chief of Security**

**Date: July 22, 1998**

 

**X Day is finally drawing up on us. Execute the following procedures within the next week. Firstly, you are to lure the S.T.A.R.S unit to the estate, and obtain B.O.W.'s raw combat data against S.T.A.R.S Operatives. Secondly, you must collect two embryos of each of the mutated specimens as samples for further studying excluding the Tyrant. You are to dispose of the Tyrant. Finally, please ensure complete disposal of the Arklay Laboratory including all of its personnel and test animals and disguise their deaths as nothing more than an accident. When the above procedures are executed, report to headquarters for further instructions on what to do next.**

**If for some reason you are unable to execute the procedure by the deadline you are to report immediately. In case of emergency situations, report directly to the extension number 5691. Good luck.**

**Umbrella Headquarters.**

**Umbrella Inc.**

**\- Mail Recovered by S.T.A.R.S Officer B. Hanscom.**

  
  


**Unofficial S.T.A.R.S Report: Choice B [ + 10 Steddie / Streddie / Reddie ]**

**\- Hanzier: 20**

**\- Stanlon: 10**

**\- Stozier: 15**

**\- Reddie: 25**

**\- Kasplon: 10**

**\- Steddie: 15**

**\- Streddie: 25**

**\- Stanlonzier: 10**

 

**Current Mission Rank: A**

  
  


The sound of thudding below them had Eddie even more alert as he looked around wildly. “Shit, that’s him! Just go already! There’s an elevator over there. Lucas used it to leave.”

Richie looked over his shoulder as Stan directed the flashlight towards the other side of the attic. It was a small square shaped cage styled elevator but they could easily all fit on it as long as one of them carried Eddie. Stan approached the cage and slammed his hand onto the button. The thumping sounded again, and it was easy to tell just where the creature that had Eddie panicked was when a shriek sounded; followed by a sickening crack.

And then the heavy thumping started again.

Richie turned back to Eddie quickly, grabbing his good arm and pulling it around his shoulder carefully. “Sorry Eds, you’re not the Stars Captain yet. Your orders are empty.”

“ _ Tozier - _ ”

“Shut up Kaspbrak. I’m not leaving you here to die when that fucking thing gets up here, so shut up, suck it up, and let your damn team help you. You said it yourself when I asked why we had to come out here. We don’t leave others to die. We can’t call ourselves special tactics and rescue service if we can’t even save our own teams.”

With that, Richie shouldered the boxes aside and crawled next to Eddie, keeping a grip on his arm as he tucked the other under Eddie’s legs, lifting the other man into his arms surprisingly easy. The thudding became louder, a clang sounding as the elevator opened across the attic, and Richie secured an arm against Eddie’s back to keep him steady, rushing across the attic and ducking into the small space.

There was a sickening crack as Stan stepped into the elevator, the attic door splitting as something pounded against the wood. Stan slammed his hand down onto the button next to Richie, the cubicle shaking around them as it whirred to life again. The door gave way to the weight of the creature Eddie had mentioned, Richie tightening his grip on the man in his arms as the creature came into view, illuminated only by the moonlight coming in through a window. 

It was easily ten feet in height, a horrible sickly grey colour, and while its left arm was normal and human looking, the right arm faded off into a set of long black claws that clinked against each other. It tilted its head towards them and stared at them, mouth opening to show cracked and jagged yellow teeth smeared in blood as it spoke, voice low, gravelly, and masculine. 

“Eliminate… Stars.”

The cage door slammed shut as the creature charged for them and the cubicle shook again, springing into life and slowly descending down the shaft. A sickening screech sounded above them as the creature smashed its claws through the metallic door and started to rip it open, its growls and snarls echoing through the shaft. The cubicle shook violently as the creature leapt into the shaft, wrapping its claws around the elevator wire and scaled down, feet slamming into the roof.

The cubicle shook around them again and Stan stumbled into Richie, slamming his hands into the elevator wall either side of him to keep Eddie pinned safely between them before he could end up on the floor. The sound of something scraping on metal echoed around them and Richie barely had time to duck before four perfectly identical claws had slammed through the roof, the tips of the claws skimming at the back of his neck.

The creature pulled it’s hand back and Richie dropped to his knees, reaching out with his free hand to grab at Stan’s leg. “Duck!”

Stan dropped to his knees as the claws smashed through the roof again, clipping the top of his baret. Refusing to look up at the roof, Stan focused on the barely conscious Eddie. They needed to stop on one of the floors and make a run for it. They had to get somewhere safe and tend to Eddie’s wounds. He reached blindly for the emergency brake, a snapping sound catching his attention and drawing his vision back to the roof.

The creature was picking the wire apart with its claws, snaps sounding whenever it managed to get further through it. There was another violent shake of the cubicle as the creature jumped and landed on the roof, snapping another piece of the wire. Were they… moving faster?

Stan looked back to the door to see the other floors whizzing by as they descended further down, and he could have sworn he’d seen someone on one of them. The creature apparently had too, because as Stan looked up, it snarled and jumped, scrambling up the remains of the wire and smashing its way through one of the metal grates and vanishing into the dark.

Stan released a breath he hadn’t been aware of holding, moments before a loud crash sounded around them and everything went dark.

  
  


**[ Team B ]**

“You heard that right?” Beverly asked, pointing her flashlight down one of the hallways. “It sounded like an elevator crashing.”

Mike stopped, raising his flashlight above his head and looking around. “Old places like this are bound to have elevators hidden all over the damn place. You worried about it?”

“A little. It could be nothing… could be something. It’s probably nothing though. I don’t trust it. It’s like you said, the blood on this wall is fresh. It could be the Captain’s. We  _ have _ to follow it. Whatever that noise was... it was pretty far and we don’t know if it’s one of us, or just a creature. But what we  _ do  _ know is this blood has come from someone alive and hurt and that’s our priority.”

“Okay then, let’s keep moving.”

Keeping her flashlight aimed at the blood on the wall, Beverly started to walk again while Mike kept a careful watch around them; a pistol held firmly in one hand. They’d already encountered some of the creatures Stan had told them about, fortunate enough that they’d only gotten away with bruises. There was a chance that if they ran into another one, they wouldn’t be so lucky.

Rounding a corner, they were faced with a metallic door with a blood stain like someone had been leaning on it, and a keycard with bloodied fingerprints. Beverly crouched to pick up the card, lifting it to the pad next to the door and swiping it slowly. A beep sounded, followed by a whirring as the door opened and an electronic voice.

“Welcome back, Doctor Harrington, to the West Wing Laboratory.”

The lights to the room flickered on above them as they stepped inside, the doors whirring to a close behind them. A click sounded, followed by the sound of someone rising from a chair.

“Hands up. Don’t move.”

Beverly raised her hands into the air, slowly turning to see a man in a bloodied lab coat who was pointing a pistol in their direction. “You don’t want to do that.”

“You’re right, I don’t, and I won’t,” the man spoke, slowly lowering the gun, “as long as you put those weapons away.”

“Okay, we’ll put them away. Just… don’t shoot.” Beverly said, moving her rifle to her back and shoving it into its holder. “See? It’s away.”

Mike placed the pistol onto the nearby computer console. “Have a feeling that might be yours. Found it a few hallways back.”

The man stepped forward, grabbing the pistol and looking it over before shoving it into the holder on his side. “I dropped it when one of those Lickers came after me. So you’re the infamous Stars huh? I’m impressed. I didn’t think even  _ you  _ could make it by those things.” Shoving his other pistol away, the man waved at a nearby table. “Take a seat, we’re safe in here. I’m Doctor Harrington, and I’m going to tell you what happened here. About the T-Virus.”

“That’s the virus Stan mentioned. It made all those things out there right?” Mike asked, slowly taking a seat next to Beverly.

“Yes, it did. It wasn’t supposed to though. The virus was… it was supposed to help people not hurt them. It was supposed to cure sickness, disease, cancer… everything. I don’t know what happened. See, Umbrella had come in, showing interest in my friend’s work and then… well… all of this happened. They put me in charge of gathering Bioweapon combat data. They said they were turning this place into a testing ground for Stars recruits. I found out that was a lie. One of your team… I think it was Officer Uris… he was hurt by a Licker so I dragged him to the East Lab where my friend treated him. One of his underlings… they injected him with the T-Virus without consent…”

“Stan’s infected?”

“Not anymore. We gave him a dose of the anti-virus. His vitals recovered, there were no mutations, no relapses… so we stuck him in a bedroom and left him there. Umbrella may want you destroyed but I don’t. All  _ we  _ wanted to do was make a vaccine that could cure disease. Not this… we never wanted this.”

“Are… the other scientists still alive?” Beverly asked, tone wary.

“Two. My friends are locked away in other labs trying to undo this mess.” Doctor Harrington sighed, removing a needle of green liquid from his pocket, slamming it down into his arm. “Your friend was lucky. I’m infected on a high level. I don’t know what this means for me but… Umbrella tampered with the samples… made the blue and red virus. Those are what create the monsters. The green is safe. This is what  _ we  _ were creating. We should have never accepted funding help and a fancy lab from them… everyone is dead… and now there’s a monster looking for all Stars officers to kill them. You’re better off… staying in here with me until help comes. It won’t get in here. There are no windows and only one door in and out of this place. While you’re here, you can look at the files on the virus. You’ll see I’m not a threat. We just wanted to help his brother...”

  
  


**[ Team A ]**

“Holy fucking shit. Hold on! I got you!”

Stan was vaguely aware of a female voice and the sound of clanging. Everything was blurry as he opened his eyes, spotting a S.T.A.R.S uniform and red hair as someone yanked at the cage door. With a groan, Stan clutched at his shoulder and looked across the cubicle to where Richie was still unconscious, Eddie in his lap and both of them covered in blood, most of which was probably from Eddie. 

Eddie himself was somewhat awake, slowly shaking his arm against Richie’s neck. “Tozier, come on, wake up.”

A loud squeak sounded as their saviour finally pried the gate open and Stan’s attention turned back to them. “Max?”

“Holy fuck Stan you look like hell.” Max said, extending her hand towards him.

“Them first.” Stan said, shakily untangling his legs from Richie’s and climbing to his feet. He reached for Eddie, helping him to his feet so Max could pull him up out of the elevator carefully.

Hooking his arms under Richie’s, Stan hauled him to the gate and flung one of his arms around his shoulders, pulling him up enough that Max could grab his arms and heave him out of the elevator before she set him next to Eddie and reaching back in for Stan, giving him a view of where they’d stopped. It looked like some kind of kitchen, dark with lights that flickered on and off above them. 

“Where are we?”

“It’s the basement kitchen.” Max said, crouching next to Eddie and checking him over. “Shit Kaspbrak, you’ve been through a lot.” She reached for Eddie’s pouch, unclipping it from his waist and yanking the zip open to root around inside. “What happened to you guys?”

“We uh… ran into a little trouble.”

Max laid out the medical supplies she would need to treat Eddie’s wounds, brow furrowed. “Yeah? Would this little trouble happen to be very big with a claw for a hand?”

“You’ve seen that thing?”

“Yeah, I’ve seen that thing. I was liberating a map on the second floor when that piece of shit decided to make itself known. You’re lucky you got away from it. I was too. Think you can do me a favour? The map is over on the table there and a pen. Mark off the route you used if you can remember it. I’m trying to keep out of the infected zones.”

“Yeah, you got it.” Stan said, approaching the table and picking up the pen, staring down at the map until he found the lobby, drawing a big cross through the art room and following the route to where Mike and Richie had found him. Finding the second floor layout on the map, he marked off the hallway they’d gone down, right to the attic. “That’s weird. The elevator isn’t on here.”

“It was probably a last minute decision and they couldn’t be bothered to add it.”

“You said this is the basement right?”

“Yeah, why?”

“It’s not on here.”

“What do you mean it’s not on there?” Max stood, approaching the table and looking over the map. There was ground floor, second floor, third floor, attic, but no basement.

“The laundry room where Richie and Mike found me isn’t here either.” Stan said, following the path he’d taken with Richie and tapping his pen against the stairwell. “It says E-Lab. And over here on the West it says W-Lab.”

“Hey look at this.” Max said, tapping the stairwell in the foyer. “Behind the stairs here it says C-Lab… but that’s how I got here… but this is a kitchen, not a lab.”

“I don’t like this.”

“Me neither. Let’s patch up Eddie, slap the rookie awake and get moving. There’s a radio room on the central third floor. We can use it to get help.”

“Is that a good idea? You want to go out there with that thing roaming around?”

“What other choice do we have? We have an officer down, and fuck knows what happened to the others. We need to get in contact with the rest of the RPD. We  _ need  _ a medivac helicopter. The only way to do either of those things is to go to this radio room.”

  
  


**> New Characters <**

 

**> Max: S.T.A.R.S Bravo Veteran and Technology Expert. **

**Status: Healthy**

**Weapons: Unknown**

**Supplies: basic medical supplies**

 

**> Steve: Umbrella Scientist?**

**Status: Infected**

**Weapons: pistols**

**Supplies: T-Virus Antidote**

  
  


**> Decision Time <**

 

**Unlike before, you’re left with two decisions. Each team has their own choice, which have their own consequences and perks that can tie into each other.**

 

**[Team A: Richie, Stan, Eddie, and Max]**

 

**With one Stars officer down and another in bad shape, the decision of what to do next rests in your hands.**

**A) Sit tight and wait for help**

**B) Head for the Radio Room**

  
  


**[Team B: Beverly, Mike, and Steve]**

 

**Safe inside one of the three hidden labs of the mansion, Beverly and Mike can easily wait out the hell that’s happening, but should they?**

**A) Wait for help in the lab with Steve**

**B) Leave the lab and look for the rest of Stars**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Votes close on Sunday!


	6. Chapter 6

**The contents of this fax are confidential and intended for scientists only. Any copying, or disclosure of the contents of this fax to any third party is strictly forbidden. After reading the contents of this fax, it must be destroyed immediately. We expect significant increase in the damage done by the recent T-Virus' outbreak. There are several concerns. The first is that more than half of the researchers have been infected and died. It has also been reported that almost all of the survivors of this accident are starting to show symptoms of infection.**

**The second concern is that our Secret Security Patrol Team has also been completely eradicated. Therefore, our most secret research is in danger of public disclosure. Quick actions are demanded to prevent mass media coverage. The third and final concern is that there is a high possibility that most of the specimens are running loose inside the compound. We expect many casualties to follow.**

**However yet unfortunate, these casualties underscore the success of our research results. Actions must be taken to prevent our research results from being made public. We suspect the first official intervention will come from S.T.A.R.S and we strongly recommend taking measures against them first.**

**\- Fax Recovered by S.T.A.R.S Officer M. Mayfield**

  
  


**Unofficial S.T.A.R.S Report:**

**Team A, Choice A [ + 5 Steddie / Bioweapon Trigger ]**

**Team A, Choice B [ + 10 Mikeverly, Hanzier, Steddie, Streddie, Reddie, Stozier, Bevchie, Stanverly, Kasplon, Stanlonzier, Edverly ]**

 

**Top 3:**

******\- Reddie: 35**

******\- Steddie: 35**

**\- Streddie: 35**

******Current Mission Rank: B +**

**[Team A]**

 

“Absolutely not. There is no way in fucking  _ hell  _ I’m dragging Eddie through this mansion like that!” Stan gestured wildly at Eddie who had his arm wrapped securely around his stomach. Max had fortunately been able to stop the bleeding with the help of Eddie’s medical supplies and his careful guidance, but there was nothing she could do about the broken ribs, and the most she’d been able to do for his arm was splint it.

“We can’t just stay here Stan!” Max argued, pointing at the elevator shaft for emphasis. “You see that shit? There’s a gaping hole in the roof, and anything can fucking come down there. Is that a risk that you  _ actually  _ want to take? Are you  _ really  _ going to put Eddie in that kind of danger? We’re better off  _ moving _ .”

“At least we can keep an eye on  _ that _ .” Stan defended, his voice rising with each word. “The rest mansion is mostly  _ dark _ and anything can come out of the shadows. In here we only have two ways in and four of us. We can  _ watch  _ them.”

“Yeah? And what do you do if something comes through  _ that  _ door?” Max asked, pointing to the door she’d come through. “This room may have two entrances but it only has one exit. We can’t haul Eddie up that elevator shaft. You’re putting him in  _ danger _ . I thought you were an intel expert? Maybe you should, I don’t know,  _ get some fucking intel _ .”

“That’s enough.” Richie groaned, tilting his head back against a cupboard. “You guys have been arguing about this for like thirty minutes. I say we just go. I’ll carry Eddie through this place myself if I have to.”

“Can you?” Max asked, her anger vanishing into concern. “You took a pretty hard hit to the head when you guys crashed.”

“It’s nothing that I can’t walk off.” Richie assured her, carefully climbing to his feet. “I feel better already.”

“Are you  _ seriously  _ agreeing with her on this?” Stan snapped. “You know that this is a bad -” He was suddenly cut off by the sound of something clinking against metal, followed by a quiet clicking sound.

“What the hell is that?” Max asked as she approached the elevator, slowly taking out her flashlight and switching it on. Hopping into the remains of the elevator, she pointed the flashlight up at the roof, tilting her head back to look through the hole.

Moving the beam around the dark shaft, Max caught sight of something crawling along the wall, focusing the light on it to see the Licker that was prowling around in the dark, snarling and growling as saliva dripped from its mouth. Max dropped the flashlight to the floor where it clanged loudly and a loud snarl echoed through the elevator shaft as the Licker’s head snapped in her direction and it launched itself from the wall, free falling down the shaft towards her. Something grabbed at the back of her jacket and yanked her back, followed by a shot as the licker landed in the elevator with a shriek.

The creature jerked and growled as the bullet clipped its brain, lashing it’s tongue out in their direction. Stan ragged Max backwards and Richie aimed his gun at the licker again, slower this time, making sure that he was aiming right for the brain before pulling the trigger. The bullet slammed into the Licker’s brain and it shot backwards, tumbling onto its back and curling into itself almost like a spider, lying in a pool of its own blood.

“And  _ that’s  _ why we keep moving like Max said to instead of sitting around in one place.” Richie said, holstering his gun hastily and crouching to help Eddie up. “I’m not waiting for another one of those things to just drop down on us. We don’t have enough bullets for that. If we keep moving, we can move  _ around  _ them. Max, give me a hand with Eddie.” Max stood on shaky legs, stumbling over to Richie and holding Eddie up as he crouched. Carefully positioning him against Richie’s back, she kept a firm grip on him as Richie hooked his arms under Eddie’s knees and stood upright, hoisting him up. “Now where was that radio room?”

“Central third floor.” Max informed.

“Let’s get moving. How you holding up there Eds?”

“I’m fine.” Eddie muttered, voice full of exhaustion as he placed his chin to Richie’s shoulder. “You know, for someone who was thrown around and carved up by that big thing earlier.”

Richie grinned, giving Eddie’s leg a squeeze. “You’re gonna be okay. You’re in good hands Eds. We’re gonna get you help and get you out of here.”

“I know - trust you.”

“Good, take a nap. You’ve had a long day.”

“Kay.” Eddie yawned, planting his forehead onto Richie’s shoulder. “Hey Rookie… do you know you’re still bleeding?”

  
**[Team B]**

 

“While I have zero doubts that this room is safe, I don’t think it will stay that way for much longer.” Mike said, slowly standing and removing the shotgun from his back. “Besides… we have people lost in this mansion and I can’t just leave them to die.”

Beverly stood, tucking her chair back under the table. “He’s right. They wouldn’t just sit in some safe room and leave us out there to die so we can’t do that to them.”

Steve sighed, slowly standing and walking over to one of the counters, grabbing a briefcase and slamming it onto the counter. “If you have friends that are out there, they could be hurt or infected, so I’m going with you just in case they are. If it turns out they are, I can administer the antidote to them and then get you all to the East Laboratory. I know my way around this mansion blindfolded. You don’t.”

“What’s in the East laboratory?” Beverly asked, giving Steve a wary once over.

“One of the best scientists Umbrella ever had. He’s the only man who stayed behind to help us. He didn’t agree with what they were doing, and when everything went to hell, he stayed here to help us. There’s also a way out.”

“A way out?”

“Yeah, down a manhole, through the sewers and into the main underground laboratory. I don’t know what it’s gonna be like out there, but there’s a way out of this facility through that lab. Do you have that keycard you used to get in here?”

“Yeah uh, here…” Beverly produced the card from her pocket, handing it over to Steve.

Taking the card, Steve swiped it into the nearby computer while typing. “Jonathan? Can you hear me? You still alive down there buddy?”

Beverly approached as the static cleared from the screen to show a black and white image of another man in a labcoat. “Steve? Oh my god, I thought you were dead jackass. The fuck have you been doing for three days?”

“Surviving. Looks like you’ve been surviving too. How’s the East lab?”

“Oh you know, zombies, bioweapons… we’re still alive though. Ain’t nothing getting in here unless we allow it… and believe me… there’s a lot of shit out in the hallway that wants to get in here. Zombies… Lickers… Sweepers. Umbrella really fucked us over.”

“Okay, sit tight… I’m coming. I got more of the antidote samples with me and… I got some friendlies too. Stars members. We’re trying to locate the others.”

“Try the security room on the second floor. You’ll be able to see every room and hallway there but… be careful. That thing… we’re trying to shut it down.”

“Who is this  _ we _ ?” A voice off screen asked. “I’m the one doing all the work here.”

“Okay, sorry,  _ Frank  _ is trying to shut it down. He thinks if he can hack into the Umbrella servers he can shut down the T-001. But uh… if you happen to run into it… shooting a few rounds into it should slow it down or something. It’s not  _ invincible _ , you know? Also if you find Frank’s card that would be  _ really  _ helpful to the whole  _ getting into Umbrella’s server  _ thing.”

Steve nodded, gripping at the counter. “You got it. We’ll try and be with you soon. Keep an eye on that hallway camera for us.”

“Yeah, will do. Stay safe jackass. See you when you get here. We’re getting out so make sure everyone you’re trying to get out is with you. The moment you get here, we’re calling for an extraction. This place needs to fucking burn.”

“What about all your research?”

“I’m going to destroy it. All of it. This was meant to help my brother get better, not be weaponized.”

“It still  _ can  _ Jon. The T-virus that  _ you  _ created is working on me. It stopped my infection. It’s a complete success. That’s why I’m bringing these samples down to you.” Steve held up the briefcase to the camera, patting it. “This is everything you strived for and you’re not gonna destroy it.” 

Jonathan smiled, reaching for something at the edge of the camera’s view. “Okay. So maybe I won’t destroy  _ that _ . Call in when you reach the security room.”

Jonathan ended the transmission and Steve turned to the two present Stars members. “Okay, let’s go and find your friends and get to that lab. I’m just gonna go out on a limb here and say we’ve  _ all  _ had enough of this place.”

 

**[Team C]**

 

The thick cloud of smoke filled the hallway, making it impossible to see anything. Hissing sounded as a large spider attempted to feel through the smoke to reach its target, and Lucas could  _ just  _ see the hairy black and orange stripes on its legs before something wrapped around his arm and yanked him to the side, the sound of a slam following. Lucas leaned against the door that now separated him from the giant spider, panting heavily and sliding down into a sitting position. He looked around the immediate area to see that he’d been pulled into a study. Dustin was removing a gas mask from his face, setting it to one side on the desk. Behind him, Ben was sitting up against a wall, barely conscious with a bleeding bite mark on his neck from where the spider had sunk its teeth into him.

“Okay so, between those clicky things, the thing that shot out of a elevator at me, the general zombies, and that big ass spider, I think I’ve had enough of this place.” Lucas said, his voice a heavy pant. 

Dustin placed his shotgun onto the nearby desk. “Lucky for you those things rely on sight and touch. It should just go right by us and move on.”

“How’s Ben doing?”

“It’s poison like I suspected. Without Stan…”

“I know. He’s our expert on poisons and the only one who would know what to do.”

“We  _ need  _ an antidote for him.”

Lucas removed the walkie-talkie from his jacket and raised it to his mouth. “Stan? You read me?” Only static responded, and Lucas twiddled with the dial. “Any Stars out there?”

The static crackled and a voice finally broke through. “Alpha - Bill - brough - trying - contact - Alpha team.”

“Bill?” Lucas asked, hope filling his voice as he slammed his thumb down into the button. “Bill this is Lucas from Bravo, do you read me?”

“Lucas? Tired - listening to - own voice. Can’t get - Alpha - bad new - trap - set up - traitor -”

“Traitor? Who's a traitor Bill?”

“E -”

“E?” Dustin asked. “Eddie? That can’t be right. Eddie would never-”

“No! No - Eddie - R -”

“Richie?” Lucas guessed, brow furrowing. “Bill, you’re breaking up too badly. We can’t understand you. Who is the traitor in the unit?”

“ _ Captain _ \- traitor - sent us - die - all - get out.”

“The captain is a traitor?” There was only static again and Lucas pushed his finger down onto the button. “Bill, are you still there? Did you say that the Captain is a traitor?” At the sound of more static, Lucas threw the walkie at the nearby wall. “Stupid bitch ass radio. Okay Dustin, what’s our plan?”

Dustin heaved a sigh. “Well… we need to take care of Ben first. I came across a file in here while you were gone. It said that they grew herbs to combat the Spider Bioweapon venom. The problem is the herbs are up two floors in the balcony greenhouse. We have two choices. One of us goes up to get the herb while the other stays here, or all three of us go.”

“I can’t say I like either of those options, Dustin.”

“We gotta do  _ something _ . If we don’t, Ben’s gonna die.”   
  


**> Decision Time <**

**Operatives, we commend you for making it this far with very few casualties. However, S.T.A.R.S Officer Benjamin Hanscom has been bitten by a bioweapon while holding out in the mansion. The antidote is two floors up and the mansion is crawling with bioweapons, zombies, a tyrant, and a traitor. You can either:**

 

**A) Send Lucas to get the herbs needed to cure the poison**

**B) Send Dustin**

**C) Send everyone together**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Votes are open until Sunday.


	7. Chapter 7

**On July 23rd, S.T.A.R.S. Bravo team, led by Lieutenant Henderson, went to investigate the bizarre homicides that occurred in the Arklay Mountains. After contact with team's chopper was lost, and S.T.A.R.S. Alpha team, lead by former Captain Bowers, was sent in to locate them and bring them back safely. We found the remains of Bravo team's helicopter on the ground after landing and were almost immediately attacked by bloodthirsty dogs and forced to retreat to a nearby mansion.**

**After further investigating the mansion, we learned that it was actually a secret laboratory of Umbrella Inc. where most of the researchers had been turned into zombies by some type of unknown virus. We also discovered that Umbrella was using that lab as a testing area for new Bio Organic Weapons to use against us.**

**\- Part of a Report Filed by** **_S.T.A.R.S Captain E. Kaspbrak._ **

  
  


**Unofficial S.T.A.R.S Report:**

**Choice B: No Ship boost. Tactical Advantage gained. Rank Boost acquired.**

**Current Mission Rank: A**

 

**[Team C]**

Dustin heaved a sigh. “Well… we need to take care of Ben first. I came across a file in here while you were gone. It said that they grew herbs to combat the Spider Bioweapon venom. The problem is the herbs are up two floors in the balcony greenhouse. We have two choices. One of us goes up to get the herb while the other stays here, or all three of us go.”

“I can’t say I like either of those options, Dustin.”

“We gotta do  _ something _ . If we don’t, Ben’s gonna die.” Dustin paused for a moment, chewing at his lip in thought. “I could go and get what we need.”

“Are you sure that you can make it there and back?” Lucas asked, motioning to Dustin’s shotgun. “You pop even one shell from that thing and everything in this mansion is gonna converge on the noise and swarm you.”

“Then I won’t fire it. Besides,” Dustin shoved the shotgun into Lucas’ chest, only releasing it when he was sure the other man had a grip on it. “You need it more than I do. Protect him until I come back. You stay low and you stay quiet.”

“More than -” Lucas gripped the shotgun in his hands, giving Dustin a once over. “But what are  _ you _ gonna do? You can’t go out there without a weapon! You’ll die!”

“Not all weapons run on bullets, Lucas.” Dustin said, grabbing his gas mask and slowly pulling it over his head before patting at his chest. “I have smoke grenades, flashbangs, and a knife. I’m gonna be fine. I'll just blind and deafen everything. You just worry about keeping Ben safe.”

“You got it.”

“Remember that code we used on our last mission? I’ll use it when I come back. Don’t open this door for anyone else. We don’t know what kind of people are running around here other than us and we have a traitor.” Dustin removed one of the smoke grenades from inside his vest, hooking his finger into the pin. “Stay safe.”

“Yeah. You too.”

Dustin opened the door enough to slip through into the hallway, closing it behind him before an explosion sounded. Thick smoke filled the hallway and Dustin removed the knife from the front of his vest. The least he could do was take some of those fuckers out on his way and make coming back easier.

 

**[Team A]**

“The radio room is just around the corner.” Eddie said, tilting the map Max had given him from side to side, making it difficult for Richie to see just where he was going. It wasn’t like he really needed to see the hallways anyway. Eddie usually told him when to stop and when there was a corner to turn. All  _ he  _ had to do was move and follow the directions that Eddie gave him. “The sooner we get out of this place the better.”

“We should stop for a bit.” Stan said, looking back at them over his shoulder. “We could all do with a breather and it’ll do you some good to put Eddie down for a few minutes.”

Richie complied, slowly crouching so Eddie could climb from his back, Richie guiding him to a nearby window to sit on the ledge. In the darkness beyond the pane of glass, Richie could just about make out the roof of a greenhouse directly below where they were, and off to the right, he could see the large windows that stood at the top of the staircase they’d used to get up here. With how unhelpful the map had proven to be already, Richie had been making a mental layout of the mansion in his head to remember where they’d already been and how to get back to places. Memorizing routes had always been his speciality, and it had been one of the reasons the regular RPD hadn’t wanted him promoted.

But people didn’t say no to S.T.A.R.S Captain Bowers.

And it made him wonder…

“Don’t you think it’s odd?” Richie asked, squinting to look at the courtyard below where he could see the movement of zombies shambling around. “Bravo team was sent here on orders that even basic RPD could have handled. Missing campers? Cannibalism? That’s not a Stars mission. We deal with people who go around shooting everyone in sight. We deal with bomb threats and terrorists. We don’t hunt cannibals. That thing out there… you said it’s hunting  _ us  _ specifically. I’ve been trying to figure out why someone would lure us here to kill us.”

Eddie leaned back against the window, relieving some of the pressure from his leg with a sigh of relief. “And did you figure it out?”

Richie swallowed, slowly stepping back from the window, a frown slowly forming onto his face. “I didn’t want to think there would be a traitor but… Captain Bowers has been missing since we came in here. Beverly or Mike would have radio’d in if they found him. Someone from Bravo would have… and that creature always seems to know where we are. I’m not stupid. I see the cameras in the hallways. They’re small but I see them. I see the annoying blinking red light.”

“Wait… you think Captain Bowers did this? That he’d lead us here to die? Richie, he’s a Stars operative too! He wouldn’t -” 

“Only on paper. But how well do you really know the Captain?”

Eddie frowned at that. Now that he thought about it, he  _ didn’t _ know Captain Bowers all that well. No one did. He wasn’t a man who made small talk. He barked orders and strut around the police station in non-RPD uniform and sunglasses. And now that he was  _ really  _ thinking about it, no one knew why he’d decided to create S.T.A.R.S in the first place, either. He recalled the Captain arguing with his father, the chief, at some point, and then a week later, he was checking out people from the RPD; always checking with Vic to see who was way above the average. Eddie remembered being escorted to a room on the second floor of the station where Beverly, Bill, Stan, and Mike were.

Eddie had been part of S.T.A.R.S since, and as their numbers grew, they were split into two teams and Stan was moved to Bravo to help them train..

“I guess I don’t know him at all. I just accepted that I was good enough to be part of an elite unit and never thought anything of it. And then you tell me we might have been sent here by our Captain to die and… it makes sense. He should have come here with Bravo. But he didn’t. He waited until we came. But why?”

“He was probably giving everything in this mansion time to kill Bravo. We were probably supposed to find their bodies. Not them. But we did find them. They’re alive.”

“Let’s keep them that way.”

“We wi-”

Richie was cut off by the sound of heavy feet thumping in their direction. The floor under his feet was vibrating, almost shaking, and he knew what that meant. The big guy was back, but it was hard to tell which direction he was coming from. Max looked from one end of the hallway to the other, trying to locate where the creature was going to come from but it was too hard to tell.

“Maybe if we’re quiet he’ll just skip by us. It’s too dark for him to see us.” Max hissed, slowly flattening herself against the nearby wall between two doors while Richie tucked Eddie’s legs up onto the window ledge, leaning him sideways against the window. “Just don’t move. Don’t make a sound.”

Stan squinted up the dark hallway, able to make out a shape in the distance where the hallway intersected with another. A shape that was heading right in their direction, picking up speed as it moved. “No good. It’s coming. We have to fight it.”

“ _ How _ ?” Max shouted, clapping a hand over her mouth as a shriek sounded back in the direction they’d come from. 

Slowly, she turned to the direction of the shriek and there was a thud as a Licker landed in the middle of the hallway, pacing towards them with its claws tapping against the wooden floor. It tilted its head to one side as it listened for them, tongue dragging against the ground. They were trapped by two of the worst creatures to be trapped between and there was no way they could possibly fight both at once. If they focused on the Licker, the big one would get them, and if they focused on the big one, the noise would draw the Licker. And they couldn’t divide their attention between both of them evenly when they had one injured officer and another who had to keep him safe.

“We can’t take them both on.” Richie hissed, hooking one arm under Eddie’s legs and wrapping the other around his back, his eyes trained on the Licker to make sure it hadn’t heard them. It was pacing the width of the hallway now, pausing once in a while to listen. “Time for a Plan B. There’s a greenhouse right under us.”

“What are you - oh no. Richie, don’t you -”

“Shut up and hold on.”

Richie tucked Eddie against his body, taking a few steps back from the window until he met the wall at the other side of the hallway before he broke into a run and jumped. There was a loud shatter that drew the Licker’s attention and it dove for window that Richie had just jumped out of with a loud shriek that was followed by a second shatter. Max’s attention shot to the window, then to Stan, and finally to creature. There wasn’t time to discuss this. She knew what had to be done. That creature would get one of them regardless.

Max shoved Stan at the broken window with enough force that the backs of his legs hit the ledge and he toppled out. As Stan fell towards the roof of the greenhouse directly below, the last he saw of the dark hallway they’d been in was the big creature looming behind Max, shoving her forward as it slammed a hand into the back of her head and jerked her to one side, slamming it against the jagged glass before dragging her back inside.

He would never be able to block out or forget those screams when her face had slammed into the glass, or even when the creature had dragged her away. The sharp sting in his arm from the greenhouse roof was nothing compared to that.

  
  


**[Team C]**

The shattering up the hallway brought Dustin to a sudden stop, raising his flashlight towards the door he needed to go through. If there was a zombie in there it would be easy to take out, but if it was something  _ else _ , that would be more difficult. If it was the big thing or one of the spiders, a smoke grenade or a flashbang would do the trick, but if it was one of those Licker things he would have to rely solely on a smoke grenade and hope the sound was enough to confuse it. He needed those herbs to help Ben. He needed to go in there regardless of what was on the other side of the door. He dipped a hand into one of his chest pockets and grabbed a smoke grenade, holding it tightly in one hand as he approached the door.

There was groaning, like something was in pain, and… voices?

“Not my best idea, I admit, but it got us away from that thing.”

“You’re lucky you didn’t break Eddie even  _ more _ . Look at him! He’s all cut up and unconscious  _ again _ . You’re lucky these plants broke our fall, you’re -”

“The reason Eddie is still alive if you didn’t notice. I’m the one who grabbed him in that attic. I shielded him in that elevator. I carried him through this whole mansion. I don’t recall you doing anything that kept him alive.”

Dustin threw open the door, needing to see it for himself. Needing to know that he wasn’t hearing things, and there they were. Stan and Richie stood in the middle of the glass room facing each other, bloodied but otherwise fine, an unconscious Eddie propped up against the wall. “Holy shit. Stan?”

Stan turned, gaze settling on Dustin. “Dustin? I haven’t seen you since we landed.”

Dustin slowly removed his gas mask, holding it at his side. “Where the hell have you been? After we got separated in the forest… I found Lucas and Ben. Have you seen Max?”

“Dead. That big creature got her. I don’t think you live when that happens. How are Lucas and Ben?”

“Ben’s been poisoned. I came here to get herbs. For Spider venom. Max would have known the combination.”

“She taught me a little. I might be able to make the mix.” Stan looked at the plants around him. “But there’s also… this venom will be zombie based and I don’t know how to fix that.”

Richie looked around at the plants that surrounded them. Blue, red, and yellow. He thought about the sculpture near the front of the mansion. It had been two colours. It had been blue when he’d passed through with just Mike but on the way back it had been… what colour had it been again? Green? Yeah. It was green. But there was no green herb. They would have to mix two herbs to get the right one.

“We definitely need this.” Richie said, grabbing a pot with a blue herb in it. “We need to make a green herb, liquidise it, and give it to Ben. Fast.”

Dustin looked around at the sea of red, blue and yellow. “Okay so uh… how do we make green?”

 

**> Decision Time <**

**Time is ticking and you need that antidote to save Officer Hanscom. You have four possible combinations.**

**A) Mix Red and Yellow herb**

**B) Mix Blue and Red**

**C) Mix Blue and Yellow**

**D) Mix Yellow and Red**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Votes open til monday! while i can't stop you, i'd prefer you not to double check your answer with google or anything. just go with the first one that comes to mind!


	8. Chapter 8

**June 28th, 1998**

**My sanity is at its end… I still can't believe this is happening. We lost another man yesterday. His name was Meyer and he was one of our better scientists here. He saw me panic once we were overrun by the zombies, but he came back to try and save me, and when the time came to return the debt, I ran. I can still hear him calling out my name. I can still hear the screams coming from behind, and the sound of his flesh being stripped from its bones.**

**I was afraid… terrified…**

**It's the 28th now.**

**The fight to stay alive continues. I took out several zombies who managed to break through the barricades and make their way into the actual mansion. Now I'm cutting through the chill with whisky, unloading my Mossberg on anything undead. That shotgun's become a close friend of mine. I've blasted many a zombie into fertilizer with it. We've lost thirteen men as of yesterday but in three hours, we'll bicker over trivial things in the meeting room.**

**It's a total waste of time. When I finish this bottle, my old friend Mossberg will be turning one lost body into fertilizer. Peace at last. I can hardly wait. We should have listened to Doctor Kaspbrak.**

**If you’ve found this. Get out.**

**\- Report Recovered by Doctor S. Harrington**

  
  


**Unofficial S.T.A.R.S Report:**

**Choice C: Blue and Yellow Herbs**

**Current Mission Rank: A**

 

“We definitely need this.” Richie said, grabbing a pot with a blue herb in it. “We need to make a green herb, liquidise it, and give it to Ben. Fast.”

Dustin looked around at the sea of red, blue and yellow. “Okay so uh… how do we make green?”

Richie looked over the herbs, trying to figure out the best way to do this. They needed to make the green liquid for the antidote. School had taught him that blue and yellow made green while experience in this mansion taught him that nothing could be trusted. But it wasn’t like they didn’t have enough herbs to work with until they got it right. They’d try each combination one at a time if they had to. He handed the blue herb to Stan and reached for a yellow one. Dustin was already across the other side of the greenhouse, looking over the liquidising machine they needed to use while Richie pulled off some of the yellow leaves and dropped them into the funnel. Stan noted the amount of leaves Richie had pulled off, following his lead with the blue herb.

“Are you sure it’s a green liquid we need?” Dustin asked as he pressed the button on the side of the machine. “What if you’re wrong?”

“Trust me, I don’t think the liquid in the statue changed to green for no reason. It was blue the first time I saw it and then it was green the next time I passed it.” Richie said, crouching in front of the machine where a thick forest green liquid was filling the vial attached to it. “I mean… it’s not like we can make it worse… can we?”

“Dear god I hope not.”

“I think he’s right.” Stan said, placing the rest of the blue herb on top of the machine. “I’ve been remembering vague little things and there’s like… this voice in my head. It says the same thing over and over in this loud panicky voice.”

“What does it say?”

“Blue for the virus, green for the anti-virus.”

Richie stood upright, glancing over to Eddie who was still unconscious. Maybe jumping through the window  _ hadn’t  _ been such a good idea, but at least they were still alive. Or were they? He couldn’t even see Eddie breathing, and he could feel the dread that built up in him. He needed to know for sure if Eddie was okay. Richie moved towards Eddie, to check that he actually was okay, pausing as a weird sensation washed over him as he reached the middle of the room. 

He felt weird. Hot and flushed, and the greenhouse was starting to spin as his stomach lurched. Richie wrapped an arm around his stomach, legs giving out and sending him to his knees before he vomited a thick green sludge onto the ground in front of him.

“Richie!” Stan was at his side, crouching next to him and placing a hand to his back. Richie continued vomit, his body heaving each time. Stan had seen this before, but he couldn’t figure out where.

The first thing Eddie saw as he came to was a sweaty Richie vomiting green sludge, body shaking violently as het tried to breathe. “...chie?”

“What’s wrong with him?” Dustin asked, taking a step away from the machine. 

“No!” Stan ordered, holding an arm out to him. “Stay there until the antidote is made for Ben. I’ve got this.” 

Stan didn’t need Dustin to get too close to them - to see the blood in the vomit or the red bleeding into Richie’s eyes or hear the low snarl that was coming out of his mouth. He reached for Richie’s gun, slowly so as to not alert him to what he was about to do, and carefully pulled it from its holster. He didn’t even hear the door to the greenhouse open, or Dustin’s delighted shout of Beverly’s name. He didn’t hear Mike shouting him, but he  _ did  _ notice when someone grabbed the back of his vest and pulled him back before jabbing a needle of red liquid into the back of Richie’s neck.

“That should do it.” Steve said, pulling the empty needle away from Richie who fell to the ground unconscious, tossing it to one side.

“That wasn’t the same stuff you use on yourself.” Mike pointed out, crossing the greenhouse and grabbing one of Richie’s arms, yanking him up enough to heave him up and drape him over his shoulders. “What was it?”

“He’s too infected for the anti-virus I use on myself.” Steve reached out for Richie’s face, opening one of his eyes to check the iris; blue framed with red. “My guess is that your friend here had a run in with the T Tyrant. It requires a different antidote to the regular virus.”

“The elevator.” Eddie said, voice low and strained. “That thing slammed its arm into the elevator and I noticed after that Richie was bleeding. I think it clawed him or scraped him with its claws when he was trying to keep me safe.”

“That sounds about right. Most things have to bite you to infect you, but that thing only has to scratch you to pass on the virus. You all just got  _ really  _ lucky.”

“I’m sorry and just who are  _ you  _ exactly?” Stan demanded, climbing to his feet. “You come in here, slam a needle of unknown liquid into my friend and I’m just supposed to fucking trust you and anything you say?”

Steve looked away from Richie to Stan, exhaling softly. “I guess that you could say I’m one of the people who started this whole thing, but I don’t have time to go into specifics of how this happened or why. You’ll just have to trust that I’m not the enemy and this was intentionally. You’re making an anti-virus right? That means you have someone else in danger.”

“Yeah.. it’s our friend Ben. He was poisoned by one of those spider things.”

“You won’t be able to cure it with that.” Steve approached the machine, grabbing the vial and pouring a third of it away before placing it back into the machine and tearing off some more of the blue leaves. “One part yellow, two parts blue. It needs to come out a kind of purple colour. What you were making was an anti-virus. What you  _ needed  _ was anti- _ venom _ . You were on the right track and if I were you I’d make even more of it. We’ll be heading underground to the mansion’s sewer system soon and the last time I checked... there are a  _ lot _ of large spiders down there.”

“We’re going where and  _ why  _ now?” Dustin asked, taking the blue leaves from Steve and adding them into the liquidiser.

“We’re going through the mansion sewers to get to the underground lab. There’s a way out of this place down there. We just have to get to it.”

Beverly approached Eddie, taking his good arm and winding it around her shoulders before securing an arm around his waist and helping him to stand. Eddie stumbled into Beverly’s side, dropping his head to her shoulder. “It’s okay buddy.” She assured, tightening the arm around his waist. “I’ve got you.”

“That’s ten vials excluding the one I made for Ben.” Dustin said, placing the last vial into Steve’s briefcase. “We need to get back to Ben and Lucas. I left them hauled up in a room but they can only hold out for so long.”

“We shouldn’t all go stumbling around this place. We have one injured and one unconscious. The best thing for us to do is split up. Two of you go back to get Ben and Lucas, and the rest of us should head for the kitchen lab.”

“No.” Beverly said, her tone firm. “We’ve been doing that since we stepped foot in here and it’s done us no good. I won’t do it again. We need to stay together. We’re better off in a group. I can’t support Eddie and protect Mike at the same time while he carries Richie and you can’t protect all of us at once. We need to stay together.”

Mike adjusted his grip on the unconscious Richie draped over his shoulders. “She’s right. We’re better off staying together. When we split up we end up all over the place and more of us just end up missing. Like the Captain.”

“I’m not so sure he’s missing.” Dustin said, tucking the anti-venom vial into one of the pockets of his jacket. “We intercepted a transmission from Bill for you guys and he talked about a traitor who lured us here to die. It  _ sounded  _ like he was talking about the Captain.”

“Now that I think about it, dealing with cannibals isn’t… a Stars mission.” Beverly mused with a thoughtful hum. “It only became a Stars mission when Stars officers went missing doing it. I really don’t want to consider that Captain Bowers is a traitor but...”

“You should.” Steve said, snapping his brief case shut. “Because Director Henry Bowers was the one who gave us lab rats in this place to test our stuff on.”

“So he really is a traitor?”

“When zombies started to be a thing he mentioned bringing in the Stars unit but not to help us. We were supposed to leave this place and you were supposed to come in and die. That big thing? The T Tyrant? It’s job is to make sure that you don’t leave this place while collecting combat data from your corpses. Some of us… we couldn’t leave. Jonathan saw the chance to make what we were supposed to make, while also making an antivirus. He stayed to do that and some of us stayed to help him. Most of the people who helped are gone now but… there are still some of us down there in the underground lab try to fix this.” 

“Yeah, but only because you  _ started  _ this whole mess.” Stan snapped, motioning to Richie. “And caused whatever the hell is happening to Richie.”

“We saved  _ you _ when something managed to get you in this place, is that not enough to prove that we’re trying? We didn’t know what Umbrella was  _ really  _ planning. They were using our research to conduct their sick bioweapons. They fucked us over and now they’re doing the same thing to you” Steve tucked a hand into his pocket, extracting a green vial which he held out to Stan. “This is the completed version of the anti-virus. You should take it. The anti-virus that you were given was only a trial to stabilize you when someone tried to infect you further, and trust me, he’s  _ not  _ an issue for you now.”

“So I’m supposed to just take your word on this?” Stan asked, snagging the vial from Steve to look at it better. “That this weird mysterious liquid will  _ cure  _ me if I drink it?”

“The choice is yours,Officer Uris, but I don’t gain anything by lying to you and killing you in front of your whole squad. There’s everything to gain from you being alive. We need all the firepower we can get.”

Stan glanced down at the vial resting in his hand. Could he really trust this or would it just make it worse?

 

**> Decision Time <**

 

**A) Trust Steve and take the vial**

 

**B) Don’t trust Steve**


	9. Chapter 9

**Director's Diary:**

**These patients suffer from gangrene and congestion of their blood at first before their mind starts to slowly deteriorate. In the end, there is nothing left of their mind. This disease is unlike anything I have ever witnessed. Once the patient's mind is gone, they become flesh hungry monsters and act like wild animals who are on some type of bloodlust.**

**Another patient has been showing symptoms of the first stages of the disease. I haven't been able to sleep at all these past few days. I refuse to let these patients become "zombies". I am a doctor first above all else. Even if I die, my clinical charts will contribute to finding a cure. We have already lost most of the doctors and scientists during the battle against the "zombie" patients.**

**It's impossible to maintain the facility under these conditions but I won’t leave. I must stay and try to save as many patients as possible. That S.T.A.R.S member that was brought in here… he seems okay for now so that’s something…**

**I can’t believe we were betrayed like this.**

**\- Report made by Arkley Facility Director, Doctor J. Byers**

  
  


**Unofficial S.T.A.R.S Report:**

**Choice A: Trust Steve and take the Vial**

**Current Mission Rank: A+**

 

Stan looked over the vial in his hand again, sharing a wary glance with Mike. “If I die because of this, you shoot him.”

Mike slowly removed the pistol from his side, aiming it at Steve carefully while securing his grip on Richie. “You got it.”

Uncorking the vial, Stan gave it a tentative sniff. There was no odour to the liquid, He still wasn’t sure if it was safe, but at least this would prove whether or not Steve could be trusted. He tipped the vial back into his mouth, grimacing at the taste, and forced the thick gross liquid down his throat. The rest of the Stars Unit around him were on edge and silence which was broken only by Steve’s heavy sigh.

“If it was poison you would have already died. Now let’s get that anti-venom to your other friend before he dies.”

The trip back to the room where Dustin had left Lucas and Ben was much easier in a group. What few straggling zombies that Dustin had shoved aside were easily dispatched of by Stan who wasted no time in driving his knife into their heads. Only one of them had put up a fight, and that one was restrained by Dustin so Stan could kill it. Once in a while they would stop, listen for the signs of the Tyrant, and then continue when they couldn’t hear it. The last thing they needed to do was run into that thing while they were two men down.

“What are we supposed to do if Captain Bowers really  _ is  _ a traitor?” Mike asked, stopping to readjust Richie over his shoulders. “We’re talking about a  _ special forces  _ Captain here.”

Eddie leaned into Beverly slightly as he limped alongside her, wincing when he put too much weight down on his leg. “Fuck Captain Bowers. He’s not the priority. The priority is the  _ mission _ .”

“And what’s the fucking mission  _ now _ , Kaspbrak?” Mike snapped. “This just became something other than  _ investigate some cannibal stuff. _ ”

“Our new mission is survival. It’s to get out of this damn mansion - get Ben, myself, and Richie  _ help _ . With the Captain MIA,  _ you’re  _ in charge Marsh. You’re the acting Captain.”

Beverly grimaced and tightened her hold on Eddie. “I don’t want that. As long as you’re conscious and can think clearly… you’re in charge.”

“But  _ you’re  _ the lieutenant.”

“I didn’t ask to be! I didn’t  _ want  _ to be. It should have been you. You’re the best person on this damn team. The Chief he… he just wanted a woman to rank high - for appearance. I don’t have what it takes to be a Lieutenant and that’s become very clear since we stepped foot in this mansion.”

Lucas was more than relieved to see Dustin return safely to them, along with backup no matter how beaten or unconscious some of them were. He knew better than to ask where Max was. He’d seen the hell of this mansion enough to know without confirmation that something had killed her. Dustin was quick to administer the anti-venom to Ben, and Steve didn’t give them a chance to rest before they were moving again - back to that dark kitchen with the destroyed elevator.

Steve made right for the walk in freezer and opened the doors. Where the inside of the freeze  _ should  _ have been was nothing but a staircase that lead down into darkness. “There are entrances to the labs all over this place, but since you guys somehow broke the elevator we’re gonna have to go down by foot.”

“We didn’t do that - your Tyrant buddy did when it slammed into the roof.” Stan pointed out, glancing warily into the dark. “There’s a way out down here?”

“This goes into the basement which is the lab. There’s an elevator down there that goes into the sewers and brings you out at the training facility. That’s where the pick up will be.”

“Training facility?” Stan repeated, furrowing his brow. “No, I was there before I came here. There was only one way into the sewers and it didn’t come here. It went into a cave. I know that because the stupid train I was in crashed into that cave.”

“There’s tunnels everywhere Stan, you just need to know where to look.”

“I’m telling you, I was  _ there _ . There was no other -”

“And _I’m_ telling _you_ that as someone working in these Umbrella buildings I know them inside out. Haven’t I already proved to you that you can trust me? I know what I’m talking about.”

Stan relented with a sigh, allowing Steve to take the lead. Steve stepped into the staircase and there was a low hum as a strip of lights either side of the narrow passageway turned on. Mike had no trouble heaving Richie down the stairs, but for Beverly it was a little harder since she had to support Eddie down them. The sooner they were out of this place, the better. She wasn’t sure how much longer Eddie would be able to hold out with his injuries.

At the bottom of the staircase was a curved stone hallway, and Steve went first, pistol out at the ready. Jonathan had mentioned that there were zombies down here, and they couldn’t afford to be caught off guard. He was not expecting to round the corner to see Jonathan in the lab entryway, armed with a rifle and clearing dead bodies away from the door. Jonathan looked up at the sound of footsteps, alert with his rifle pointed at them. 

He met Steve’s gaze first, and then glanced at the ground behind him. “Are any of them infected?”

Steve lowered his gun, shoving it into his holster. “Two. I’ve administered vaccinations but one of them was infected by the Tyrant.”

“Get them inside. We can tend to the wounded too.”

When Richie finally regained consciousness, it was to the sound of soft beeping and Eddie sitting at the foot of the bed, his injured leg resting against Richie’s body and his arm now encased in a thick white plaster. Registering that Richie was awake, Eddie leaned over awkwardly to hand over his glasses, bringing the crisp white room into view.

“Where-”

“We’re in the lab.” Eddie supplied, looking away from him to the other bed where Ben was sleeping. “Well… the infirmary for the lab. We did it, and we’re gonna get out of here. Beverly managed to get in contact with Bill. Once Ben can move we’re heading out. How are you feeling? They said that big thing - the Tyrant - infected you.”

Richie slowly sat himself up, wincing as he tugged at the I.V attached to the back of his hand. “I feel fine. Shouldn’t I?”

“When Steve found us, he said that you should have turned a while ago.” Eddie frowned, biting at his lip. “I’m sorry. I dragged you on this stupid mission you didn’t even want to go on and now… now you’ve been infected because of me.”

“I kind of get the feeling I would have been forced to come here by Henry anyway. Did you guys find him while I was out?”

Eddie shook his head, exhaling softly. “The others… Lucas… and Dustin… they got a radio call from Bill about a traitor. I think… I think you were right, Rookie. We were offered this mission so we could die here in this mansion.”

“Well shit - I really hoped not to die on my first mission.”

Eddie rolled his eyes. “You kept me safe all this time, do you think I’m gonna let you die now? I’m getting you home, Rookie, and then we’re gonna have a serious discussion on your inability to follow a direct  order.”

“Hey, we’re the Special Tactics and Rescue Service, Eds. We don’t leave a man behind to die. If we did that we’d  _ really  _ suck at this job and wouldn’t be able to call ourselves that.”

“We have  _ rules _ Richie.”

“Rules were made to be broken. Besides… would you have let me die there if that was you?”

Eddie opened his mouth, closed it again, and then sighed. “No… I wouldn’t have. Hey, uh, when we get back to Racoon City… do you wanna -”

A loud clang in the next room startled them from their conversation. Richie tore the I.V from his hand and stumbled to his feet, rushing into the main part of the lab where Beverly was pointing a shotgun at the thick metallic door that now had a dent in it. The slam sounded again, and one glance at the computer screen that displayed the hallway told Richie all he needed to know. 

The Tyrant had found them.

“That thing is gonna break the door down. How’d it know where to find us?” Mike asked, snapping his shotgun shut and raising it. 

Lucas grabbed his rifle, aiming it at the spot where the metal was starting to tear. “It’s almost like it can smell us.” 

Steve tossed an empty vial aside as he stood. “It’s probably programed to sniff you out - to locate Stars. We have to leave.  _ Now. _ ”

Stan reached over, prying the shotgun from Mike. “Get Ben. Oi, Tozier, you’re in charge of Eddie. Take him and the scientists and get the fuck out of here.”

“Yeah, I’m gonna leave  _ four  _ of you to fucking die.” Richie snapped. “Don’t be fucking stupid, Uris.”

“He’s right. Four of us shouldn’t die here. They’ll never make it if they’re lugging around the injured.” Beverly said, lowering her gun. “One… one of us needs to stay and fend off the Tyrant as long as we can. I’ll do it.”

“Don’t be fucking stupid.” Stan snapped. “I did not reunite you with your boyfriend so you die  _ here _ before he even wakes up.”

“And Max didn’t die for you so you can just give up and die  _ here _ .”

“So then what do  _ you _ propose we do  _ Lieutenant _ ? The squad needs you more.”

“It needs you too, you’re a copilot!”

Dustin sighed, fastening his grenade pouch back on. “I never thought I’d see the day we’d be arguing over who gets to die. I should do it.”

“Dustin -”

“Listen, the grenades I have can blow this whole fucking lab up and that Tyrant with it but I need you out the blast range first. Get your asses in the damn elevator and  _ go _ !”

Beverly opened her mouth to speak, cut off as the metallic door was finally punched from it’s hinges.The Tyrant stumbled over the door, blood dripping from its claws. “Eliminate… Stars...”

 

**> Decision Time <**

**Time is running out. Sacrifice someone to stay behind.**

**A) Stan**

**B) Beverly**

**C) Dustin**

**Author's Note:**

> Alright guys, voting is open for seven days! Good luck picking a team! :)


End file.
